


premonition: everything's an illusion.

by prompto



Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: M/M, Slow Build, will update tags as things happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-09
Updated: 2016-07-24
Packaged: 2018-04-03 17:16:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4108741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prompto/pseuds/prompto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Squall is forced to undertake a mission which Seifer ends up joining him for. There turns out to be much more to the mission than either of them originally thought, and it may force them to re-evaluate their relationship entirely.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first chaptered fic in a long time., and it's also my first time in a long time writing this pairing so I'm going to be easing into it gradually. I have alot of ideas for this story, so I'm hoping it turns out to be interesting and well-written. The first chapter is a little short, mostly to serve as an introduction. The chapters will get longer as I expand the story though.

Everything was so different.

In the few months since the events with Ultimecia and time compression, Squall had ended up taking on more responsibilities than he had ever anticipated back when he was merely a student. It was odd not having too much time to think as much as he did in the past. Becoming the commander of Garden had caused him to reset his priorities entirely. Despite how annoying the job tended to be, it was better than feeling like he wasn't in control of his life.

It was getting to where his friends started nagging him that he needed to take a break though. Rinoa was also being overly obnoxious lately with her constant doting on him. He knew she meant well by it, but it was still a little smothering to him. Telling her that he really only wanted to be friends with her after everything had settled down had been surprisingly easier than he thought as well. They just weren't compatible enough for something serious. Not that Squall even had the time for such pleasantries anymore.

Sitting there that morning, he felt the intensity of just how monotonous his routine was becoming. Get up. Train. Shower. Go to the office and work on paperwork and other issues until the day's end, which was usually in the late evening. The consistency of it all was good. It gave him a sense of control which he hadn't felt in his life for a long time. But it still also left a lingering feeling as if something was missing.

The sound of his secretary beeping in caught his attention. "Sir, Mr. Almasy is here to see you."

"Send him in."

The feeling he got from Almasy as of late was strange. In the past he would feel tense, almost forcing an indifference due to the nature of their relationship. After everything that had happened though, it was almost like a weird calm had transpired between them. A mutual respect had always been there, but they'd both grown in different ways after the war.

Squall had yet to figure out if the change was a good thing.

"Busy as ever Leonhart?"

"Of course." Squall shuffled through some papers before turning to type on his laptop for a few moments. "Something you need?"

"Yeah you see, since you all won't let me resume my spot with the Disciplinary Committee-"

"That was not my doing. They had already set someone in place for the position during your absence, and said person has been doing well so there's no reason to replace them."

"-Either way, I'm bored out of my fucking mind, and I was wondering if you had any other job openings or missions or something for me to keep myself from chasing after Grats all day in the training center."

Squall eyed his inbox while glancing over something momentarily. Something that Seifer could do that wouldn't upset anyone...that was a difficult solution to come up with. Despite the man having been cleared of all charges, there were still many in Garden who frowned upon him residing there again.

Still there was that one mission. It was one the others kept insisting he take someone else along for. Not to mention it was one Squall would have to see to personally given how confidential it was.

"I might have something." Raising a brow at a phone call suddenly coming in, Squall sighed. "I have to take this call. Come by tonight at seven. I can debrief you then."

\---

The day dragged on in a haze of constant phone calls and never-ending typing. Rubbing his forehead, Squall was grateful by the time it was nearing seven that night. He forced himself to finish one last email before finally shutting down his computer for the day. While in the process of packing up, his secretary appeared to say her general goodbyes.

"Commander, I'm leaving for the day. Also Mr. Almasy is here again to see you."

"That's fine, I'm expecting him. Good night."

Just as he grabbed his laptop case, he turned to see Seifer now standing there in place of his secretary. The blond was casually leaned against the doorway in a way that just screamed Seifer.

"You look exhausted princess."

Squall rolled his eyes while approaching Seifer in the doorway. "Move outside, I need to lock up."

Once Squall put in the code to lock the office, he headed towards the elevator with Seifer in tow.

"We'll go back to my room. I don't want anyone eavesdropping on this conversation."

During the walk through Garden, Squall could feel the strange looks given as he walked around with his former rival. Naturally most people knew how him and Seifer had always bickered and had a rocky relationship to say the least. It wasn't as if he had been able to spend alot of time with Seifer since he had allowed him back into Garden either.

Approaching the hallway that led to his room, he wasn't surprised by Seifer's snide remarks in accordance to his new living situation.

"Seems you got an upgrade with this position huh?"

It took a few minutes after they were inside of his apartment for Seifer to take it all in. He poked around, seeing how lavish it was compared to a simple dorm room for a single student. Squall watched as the blond moved to the small table where a bottle of scotch was located. Cid had insisted on getting it for him as a gift once he took over. Apparently the position called for a stiff drink from time to time.

Seifer took it upon himself to pour a glass of scotch. "Make yourself at home." Squall snapped out lowly while not being all that surprised from Seifer's actions.

"Don't mind if I do." He smirked before grabbing the glass. "So give me the run down on this mission."

Squall sat on the couch, opening the folder containing the documents needed. "In short, this is an assassination."

Seifer raised a brow while taking a sip of his scotch. "Reliving the past are we?"

"Not quite." Squall took a few photographs, laying them out to show crime scenes with those who had been murdered.

"Members of the High Council appear to be the targeted victims. We aren't sure if it's a single person or a group doing this, but we are sure that the motive involves the upcoming re-election."

"So the world's head honchos are being knocked off one by one? Are there really people that sour over these people being in office again?"

"Behind the scenes there was talk of some renovations to be done. The High Council was in the process of deciding something. I'm not sure what it was, those details are still very vague."

"Well either way you had my attention at the whole murder thing." Seifer took a seat near Squall, glancing over some of the photographs.

Squall paused, looking at Seifer for a moment as if to study him. At least he was taking the conversation seriously. "Regardless, this requires immediate attention. I will be heading out to Esthar tomorrow. If you want in then you need to tell me now. Otherwise I will have to find someone else."

"Never saw myself as the detective type, but yeah this is more entertaining than staying here. Someone's gotta watch over the Ice Princess anyway."

"Whatever." Squall muttered while closing the folder. "They already have others working on the heart of the investigation. We'll mainly be protecting Laguna, the President of Esthar. I'm sure you've met him at least once."

"Looks like we'll be partners in crime. Bet you never saw this comin'." Seifer polished off his drink before standing up.

"Stranger things have happened." Basically his entire life up until this point was a good example of that. "I'm going to start preparing for the trip. You should head back to your room and do the same."

\---

_It felt wrong._

The way Squall looked at him was displaced. He was smiling almost like a  _lover_ would.

Confusion muddled his brain as he tried to understand such behavior from Squall of all people. His voice was silenced though. He opened his mouth but no words formed. He felt frozen in place. It was almost as if he had been under that horrid mind control again.

Squall's lips moved as he spoke, but Seifer couldn't hear anything.

Within seconds Seifer felt a fear cripple him and the air sucked out of his lungs. He could see it unfold in such vivid detail.

Red. It covered Squall as a blade pierced his heart. A cold dread settled in Seifer's soul just as it all became a blank void.

The sudden rush of reality made Seifer sit up in his bed. Emerald eyes were wide as he was covered in sweat. The nightmare played in his mind over and over again. That smile..then so much blood..

It was just a dream. Surely it was  _meaningless_.

The dread of realizing he had such similar dreams while being under the sorceress' control made his heart stop for a moment. They'd been almost like premonitions back then. The idea of something like that happening to Squall...he was going to have to keep a closer eye on the Ice Princess than he originally thought.

_~ tbc._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is much longer than the opener was. I'm still gradually working on this, so I'm thinking right now this fic is going to be more of a monthly update or so. I'm trying to get as much as I can into each chapter, so that's why it's taking me longer to put it together.

 

Not even an hour into the train ride on the way to Esthar, and Squall was being quickly reminded why he preferred traveling alone.

"Well we could always play or game. Or maybe you can tell me why you and Rinoa didn't last. Could compare notes to see if it's the same reason as our breakup." Seifer suggested the millionth thing they could do to occupy their time.

Squall made a small noise close to  _'tch'_  before going to put his ear bud back in. A hand on his wrist made him glare at the source.

"Come on I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

Squall pulled his wrist away while averting his gaze out the window. "It shouldn't matter to you what happened with me and her. You dated her, you should know."

"Oh believe me I know." Seifer leaned back more against the seat. They were pretty comfortable. First class was definitely a plus. "Your personality with hers- I'm actually surprised you all lasted throughout the entire war."

"Why do you even care?"

"Just curious I guess. Making conversation. We haven't hung out like this since I gave you that scar."

Squall rolled his eyes. "I didn't know you were so fond of me."

"We've been rivals turned being civil to each other ever since we were little. Course I'm gonna wanna know all the juicy details of your life. I need new material to work with."

"There's an entire blog for that sort of thing."

It was true. Selphie ran her own blog for events at Garden, but some of the girls who ran a fanclub for Squall -- which was classy and called the  _LeonHEARTS_  -- had opened a side blog that was mainly comprised of gossip and made up theories about the commander of Garden.

"Not the same as hearing it directly from the source."

Squall was getting annoyed. He knew if he didn't give Seifer something, he wouldn't shut up for the entire trip.

"We broke up for various reasons. The main one being that we just didn't work well together."

"She's a bit too clingy. That was always one of my main problems with her." Seifer mused while rubbing his hand along his chin. The ex-knight was curious to know more of those  _'reasons'_  Squall referred to, but surely he'd find out with time. This was going to be a long mission after all.

\---

Laguna Loire hadn't changed at all.

The man's presence was always... _interesting_. Watching how Squall would react was _just_  as interesting.

"It's nice to see you again. You look well." Laguna smiled as he ushered the two into his abode. "I was getting worried since I hadn't heard from you for a while."

"I've been busy." Squall stated while letting a maid tend to his belongings. As she disappeared from sight to take the bags to the guest rooms, he glanced around. It was a rather large house, almost like a mansion. Esthar had always been a lavish location, and it wasn't a surprise their president had just as much of the same if not more.

"I can understand that. Being head of anything takes up alot of time."

The rest of the afternoon was comprised of unpacking and having Laguna give a general outline of the house and how things worked. When dinner finally rolled around, it seemed as if they were finally going to start getting to the heart of the matter.

"I don't want to get into all the grimy details over dinner, but I should probably at least give some more information about why you're here." Laguna looked over to the two that were sitting across the table from him.

Seifer cut a portion of his steak while listening intently. Despite how laid back he was at times, when it came to missions he liked having as much information as he could. Otherwise he'd go rogue if he felt as if things were too vague. The SeeD exam was a prime example of that..not taking into account his boredom at the time as well.

At least he was trying to improve from how he was a few years ago.

Squall barely had touched his food. His appetite varied most of the time due to the stress of things. "Very well."

Laguna took a sip of his wine before sighing. This wasn't going to be a very fun conversation to have. "You know the main purpose of this mission is to find out who is threatening the lives of the High Council members, myself included."

"What I'm curious to know is the true motive of those behind this?"

"That's something I haven't had clearance to reveal yet- if at all." Laguna felt Squall's steady stare on him. "There's something else about this mission that I have to make you aware of though. It's actually pretty important."

Seifer raised a brow while chewing thoughtfully on his food. "There's more?"

"Well sort of." Laguna sighed again heavily. Squall already sensed that was a bad sign. "The yearly excursion for the High Council is coming up."

"What is this like some vacation?" Seifer twirled his fork around in his mashed potatoes as he listened in.

Squall shook his head. Sometimes he really wished Seifer would not voice every thought he had.

"Ehh.. _kind of_." The man paused while thinking of a good way to state it. "It's a week-long event. We all go to an elite estate in the outskirts of Esthar. The main focus is celebrating highlights of the members year in office as well as giving out awards."

"The catch is that...well it's a  _couple's only_  type event."

Seifer almost choked on his wine. "Come again?"

"The only way to travel there is if you're with someone. It's part of the elite status of everything apparently. I think it's a bit over-the-top, but it's just how it is with the upper class."

Squall rubbed his forehead. This had definitely not been outlined in the email he was originally sent for this mission. If so, he would've brought anyone but Seifer. Even  _Zell_ would've been a better option. Well no, his limitation would probably have been Irvine. Maybe.

"So you're basically saying...me and Squall have to be a couple to work this mission?" Seifer summed up Laguna's explanation, trying to make himself still believe he had heard something so ridiculous.

"Sadly..yes."

There was a tense silence for a few moments after that.

"You've gotta be kidding me." The blond said before chucking back the rest of his wine. This mission just got alot more interesting and complicated at the same time. He wasn't sure if he should be amused or disappointed.

Squall weighed his options. Surely the facade they'd have to show would be easy enough. He highly doubted any sort of PDA would be required, only a simple statement that he was with Seifer. Glancing at his companion from the corner of his eye, he tried not to think too hard into the idea of anything more transpiring.

"If it's necessary to proceed with this mission then I'll do it."

That sort of statement coming from Squall of all people had Seifer floored. It took a few seconds for him to recover. Clearly Squall was all business. Seifer immediately felt defeated and threw up his hands. "I mean, I guess it's fine. How much do we have to act like a couple though?"

Laguna inwardly sighed with relief. They were taking it better than he had expected- especially Squall. "It's mostly just a standard to follow. Most of the week is comprised of social events, so just appearing as a couple should be enough."

\---

"Did you know there was apparently speculation that me and you were dating at some point?"

Seifer was lounged out on the bed, fiddling on his laptop while his companion paced around the room.

"I try not to read such trash."

Seifer scrolled through the fan-site devoted to the lovely commander of Garden.

"People thought that us fighting all the time was a cover-up for it."

Squall rolled his eyes as he mulled over some files regarding to the case. Truthfully, he had gotten bored on one of his rare days that his friends had forced him to drop any and all work and have  _'personal'_  time, and he'd ended up skimming _very_  briefly over the website.

The topic of him and Seifer had been one that had caught his interest the most as well as actually made him stifle a few chuckles. Since his youth Seifer had been his rival and nothing more. The concept of them being romantically involved was almost like a joke to Squall.

"I mean seriously, I'm not a bad catch honestly. You could do alot worse." Seifer muttered matter-of-factly as Squall scoffed.

It wasn't like the idea had never crossed Seifer's mind  _at least_  once. He'd seen men before and thought they were attractive and had had his share of experiences that were locked away in his mind as late nights out that really didn't mean all  _that_ much. Nothing was wrong with being curious and experimenting.

In terms of Squall though..maybe it could be a little more. It would definitely be more interesting with him. The remembrance of that dream and how Squall had  _smiled_  at him shot through his mind for a moment and made his face go blank.

Squall glanced at Seifer to see him looking off. He sighed and shook his head. "Are you actually offended that I don't care about that kind of nonsense?"

The question brought Seifer back from his thoughts as he resumed his general grin. "Come on Squall, if you had to pick a guy to date you'd totally pick me right?"

Was this conversation seriously happening right now? Squall looked at Seifer as if he was high. " _Really_?"

The concept of sexuality was almost meaningless to Squall. A label for anything like that didn't seem important. If you were attracted to someone then you were attracted. Overall he just didn't really care what people thought of him anymore. It had been something he'd learned in the past few years of his growing process.

"Your reluctance to answer says it all." Seifer smirked while looking at his laptop again to poke around at a few more things.

The entire conversation was pointless. The brunet returned his attentions to the documents in his hand. Still, he couldn't help but to feel that nagging in the back of his mind to answer the question for himself. If he had to choose anyone in the end he probably wouldn't mind Seifer out of the few men that he knew.

Seifer was probably the only one who really knew alot of Squall's history, as well as would know how to handle alot of his odd habits or tendencies. Squall tried not to let those facts bother him as he put as much information in regards to the council members to memory as possible.

\---

The trip to the estate was almost as exhausting as the train ride from Balamb had been. It was still hard to believe that Laguna was his father at times given how different they were. The president of Esthar was insistent on keeping a conversation going. The man kept mostly prattling on about old war stories and long tales about his time in office.

Seifer seemed to at least hold a place in the conversation unlike Squall who kept tuning out and staring out the window. Sometimes he managed to put his headphones in for a few minutes before he'd get dragged back into the mix somehow.

An hour later they had reached their destination. The estate was just as large as Squall had pictured in his mind, if not even larger.

The reminder that they were appearing as a couple was immediately reinforced though just as they were guided to their bedroom to see only one king size bed.

"Huh..." Seifer stared at the bed as Squall merely shook his head and started unpacking a few items he'd need sooner rather than later.

"As long as you don't kick or drool on me then I don't care." Squall muttered as if to answer Seifer's silent question about the sleeping arrangements.

"Just don't go having any weird dreams on me, and you've got a deal." Seifer smirked, laying on the bed with his arms behind his head.

"They have an entire itinerary for this week." Squall took the cup of tea that a butler had brought to them as soon as they had arrived in their room and sipped on it while studying the sheet. Moving to the large window nearby, he sat down on the love-seat attached to it. "Most of it really will be a lot of socializing."

It wasn't that Squall didn't care to socialize. Becoming commander had opened up his world in terms of dealing with others, or well, more so that he had been  _forced_  to acquire a refined skill for it. Over time though it became exhausting. The idea of having Seifer along would hopefully help negate some of that. Surely they could make excuses with the need to 'get away' for a while in order to leave a lot of these events early and investigate behind the scenes.

"You don't think it's strange that they never asked you to be a member of the almighty High Council? I mean you're leader of Balamb Garden now- the elite mercenary force that took down the sorceress and helped save the world! Why wouldn't they have wanted the  _amazing_  Squall Leonhart on there?" Seifer had exaggerated the proclamation a bit almost in a sarcastic manner, but he wasn't wrong either.

It was true Squall had become somewhat of an icon in terms of the mercenary world after all that had happened. No one knew, but Laguna had approached him shortly after the war ended to address Squall potentially joining the council in the next year. Squall hadn't felt comfortable with the idea though, which more so meant he didn't want to shoulder anymore responsibilities than he had already. Dealing with Garden was enough. He couldn't imagine making decisions that would potentially affect nations too.

"Do you really see me being on the High Council?" Squall sipped some of his tea while turning his attention to his laptop now to check his emails.

"Nah. One disagreement and you'd probably freeze them all to death with one of your infamous glares."

A low scoff was heard from the brunet as he started typing a reply. "Moving on. The schedule looks pretty basic. I don't think we have to worry too much about doing anything in regards to us being a couple."

"And here I was hoping to wine and dine you." Seifer had his feet propped up on the edge of the desk just shy of where Squall was sitting. With his hands behind his head, he stared at a painting on the wall contemplating why rich people always picked such ugly art.

"Have you gone over the members yet? We need to make sure we have as much information memorized as possible."

The only main figures that either of them had recognized were Laguna obviously. There was also the headmasters of Galbadia and Trabia, along with the mayor of Balamb City. Rinoa's father General Caraway actually ended up taking over as President of Deiling City after the sorceress incident. It seemed he was prominent enough to use his position as a general for a placeholder as president. Squall knew Rinoa had been less than thrilled after the transition had taken place.

The rest were people that were not as well-known. They more than likely had only gained their position through their social status or family lineage.

"Yes darling believe it or not the studying portion of exams was always surprisingly easy for me."

Squall knew that wasn't a lie. Seifer had scored at the top of the class most of the time on actual, written exams. It was the behavior and decision-making portions in field exams that always lowered his overall grade..that and people discrediting him in their general dislike of his character.

Feeling as if his brain couldn't handle typing up anymore long-winded emails today, Squall shut down his laptop and looked over at the blond who was looking as bored as ever now.

"Finally done?"

"Yeah." It was still too early to try to sleep, not to mention Squall rarely slept that long anyways. "Do you want to do something?"

"Why don't we explore some, get more familiar with this huge a place." Seifer stood up, stretching his arms over his head.

"That's probably a good idea." Squall grabbed his jacket while following after Seifer.

\---

At first Squall didn't say much during their journey of exploration. Surprisingly Seifer remained quiet too, opting to do more people watching instead of trying to force a conversation that would've been filled with mostly sarcastic and witty remarks.

From the looks of it, most of the council members had arrived shortly after they had. The estate seemed quite lively already with butlers and maids running around trying to tend to whatever commands or requests they had received.

"Geez this place is a mad house." Seifer muttered, glancing over to see one of the bars in the lobby area relatively full already.

 The ex-knight was surprised to watch Squall make his way into the busy area and steadily approaching the bar.

"Somehow getting smashed anywhere than in your own home seems nicer doesn't it?" As they took the last two seats at the very end of the bar, Seifer flagged the bartender down to order a drink. "You having something?"

"I'll take a vodka on the rocks. Grey goose if you have it." Squall was straight to the point on his order which made Seifer raise a brow.

"Didn't know you went for the hard stuff."

"You can't possibly know every single thing about me."

Seifer leaned in, practically smirking as he muttered lowly. "Come on now buttercup, it's my job to know  _everything_  about you."

Squall rolled his eyes just as the bartender came back and set their drinks in front of them.

The time it took to finish their drinks was actually one of the more relaxing moments that Squall had experienced in quite a long time. Seifer tended to people watch and make-up assumptions about some of the people in their vicinity. Despite how crude the blond’s humor was at times, Squall oddly had an appreciation for it. It was as he set his now-empty glass back on the counter that the bartender suddenly came back with another drink for him.

"I didn't order this." Squall stated bluntly as the bartender nodded in understanding.

"Yes I know sir. This is courtesy of the gentlemen at the other end of the bar."

Grey-blue eyes looked over in the direction in which the bartender stated. There was a man who from his appearance alone commanded attention. Long, red hair flowed and was tied back and his eyes were a piercing shade of deep blue. A navy suit was surely designer hugged his body to show off his form in the best of ways, and a smile tugged on his lips as he raised his glass up and met Squall's gaze.

"Who the hell is that?" Seifer voiced out loud while thinking through the list of people he had been studying. Red hair...he could only remember one person who looked like that only because he stood out from almost everyone on the entire list.

"It's Clemont Silverberg."

"Oh yeah. He's the one who invented the internet right?"

Squall gave a small _'hm'_  as affirmation before raising the glass in thanks and sipping more of the strong liquid. “Amongst a few other things.”

Seifer stared at the man for a moment as if trying to decide what about him bothered him so much.

Was it how he just had the audacity to do something so forward? It wasn't out of character for Seifer to do brash things towards Squall, but seeing something like this was...different. Seifer tried to decipher the feeling, and it was only as the man in question began to walk over to them that he could began to slowly understand what the feeling might be.

"Good evening."

Squall nodded. "Hello."

"I'm Clemont Silverberg. You look awfully familiar."

"That's not surprising. I'm Squall Leonhart."

"Ah...your name was on the tip of my tongue. I remember seeing your face all over the news last year."

"I'm sure. The media had quite a time covering everything that happened." Squall could feel Seifer's eyes on him.

"Oh and who is this?"

"Seifer Almasy." The blond offered his hand to be polite. The moment the other's hand touched his in a firm grip he felt a jolt of that feeling once more. Those blue eyes flashed with amusement in a way that dared to challenge Seifer. "I'm his partner."

"I see. So you two are together? I know the stipulation was that we not come alone. Quite honestly I think it's such a silly, unnecessary detail."

Squall stared at the man, almost sensing as if he was underlying he could tell that him and Seifer weren't truly together.

"I think it's all right." Seifer smirked somewhat, sliding his hand along Squall's leg to rest on his thigh. He felt the brunet tense at first then relax knowing it was simply for appearances.

"Having the person you adore so close to you is always so calming isn't it?" Clemont took a sip of his vodka, leaning against the side of the bar directly in front of Squall. Those blue eyes never wavered from staring at him. "Tell me Squall, how is it being the leader of a Garden? I know you were merely a student there before correct?"

Having someone interested in him personally was something he wasn't entirely used to. So many times in the past he had always remained closed off, not wanting to let anyone get too close. Truthfully the only one who had ever gotten under his skin and discovered more about him was Seifer, only because he had forced himself into his life over and over again.

"Yes that's right." Squall ran his fingers along the surface of his glass, feeling at the coldness of it. The cold had always been soothing to him. "I had only just passed my SeeD exam and become a mercenary when everything started happening. Really my first mission I was assigned ended up off-setting everything that led to the war."

"So you literally experienced everything. That's really amazing."

"I wouldn't say so much that it was amazing as it was exhausting."

Clemont chuckled while leaning on the counter, his body shifting to be leaning in somewhat now. "And what of you Seifer? You were associated with the sorceress for the majority of the war. Is life harder for you now?"

The way Clemont stared at the blond made Seifer's blood boil. He could just sense the taunt behind those words and the way there seemed to be amusement in such a spectacle of comparison.

"I was cleared of all charges as I'm sure you know."

Squall saw the way Seifer's hand tightened somewhat against his leg, almost gripping onto him. The brunet bit the inside of his cheek, understanding Seifer's feelings about whenever someone brought that part of his past up. It was like re-opening a wound, and despite how much Seifer insisted he was fine with his nonchalance- Squall knew better.

Seifer felt a hand brush against his own only for a moment. It was very slight, but Seifer knew it was done as a means of helping to keep him calm.

"It's not walk in the park, but I'm not complaining." Seifer summed up with a quick reply. Turning to finish the rest of his beer. He really needed a few more drinks in him if he was going to have to deal with a snobby know-it-all like this.

And the way he kept staring at Squall wasn’t helping. It was almost predatory.

“Clemont!”

The sound of someone calling for their new-found acquaintance caused the conversation to be cut short.

“Ah it seems I’m being summoned. I hope you don’t mind if I depart for now.”

“No go right ahead.” Squall nodded while seeing how Clemont was sure to stare at him closely while saying his goodbye.

“I hope to see you again soon.”

The moment he was out of sight, Seifer found himself exhaling loudly and leaning back against his chair more.

“Fucking hyne, what a prick.”

“He was...interesting to say the least.” Squall was still staring at the place Clemont was last standing at.

Something about the man had left a strange feeling with Squall. In the aftermath, he could sense that it had clearly unsettled Seifer too. Although for Squall, for some reason, he didn't necessarily feel put off by Clemont at all which was surprising since he didn't care for most people in general.

The realization that Seifer's hand was still lingering somewhat near his thigh made him look over his shoulder at him.

Seifer felt Squall's eyes on him and suddenly felt the warmth under his palm. Sliding his hand away, he drank more of his beer before replying. "You're not as cold to the touch as I thought you'd be Ice Princess."

With a roll of his eyes, Squall slid off of the bar stool to stand upright. It was starting to get too nosy in the area. "Whatever. Lets keep exploring."

"Getting too crowded for you or are you worried someone else is gonna hit on you?" Seifer teased while quickly chugging the rest of his beer before joining Squall.

The entire estate was like a never-ended maze of rooms. The main building was clearly comprised of all the bedrooms that the High Council were staying in for the week. Other areas included a two-story kitchen with dining area, an outdoor area with a tennis court, pool, and golf course. There were bars scattered across every location as well.

"Man it's amazing that any of these people stay sober."

"I think the idea is that they don't." Squall mumbled while approaching one of the statues in the garden area to stare at it for a few moments.

Seifer stared up at the sky, closing his eyes as a calm breeze passed by. It was oddly different being out here in the middle of nowhere in comparison to being locked inside the same place from day to day. Even stranger that he was there with Squall. Looking over at him, Seifer took in how peaceful Squall looked in that split second. It was actually very..

The peace hardly lasted though as a scream was heard from inside of the building nearby.

“Shit.” 

_~ tbc._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos/comments always appreciated, thanks! I'll be back in a few weeks or so~


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so overdue, I am so sorry. I had half of this sitting in my drafts for ages, but I had a huge period of writer’s block on this story. Luckily I’ve managed to make some headway on where I want to go with this so I should be able to update it semi-regularly again.

 

The commotion was already at an all-time high by the time the two mercenaries arrived where the scream had originated from.

The two pushed through the crowd, and Squall could already see Laguna standing near a few shocked individuals. The brunet immediately walked over to him.

His voice was firm but laced with an underlying concern. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. It's just.." Laguna looked as pale as a ghost. He couldn't even glance back over his shoulder at what he had been referring to.

"Who was it?" Squall asked as Laguna sighed heavily and closed his eyes.

"General Kingston."

A voice from behind them caused Seifer and Squall to shift their attention for a moment, catching sight of Clemont.

"It seems as if someone managed to slip through the cracks."

"We should head back to the room. We can discuss things privately and in more detail then." Squall stated, ensuring Laguna was close by his side while they moved past people to head to the stairway.

Clemont ended up following after them.

"Did you see what happened?" Squall asked the red-head while pacing the room. He was going over the details in his mind, trying to make note of everything he could remember.

"Not exactly. As you know I was at the bar. After I spoke with you, I ended up talking to another member of the council, President Caraway."

The name made Squall look up for a moment, catching Seifer's gaze for a split-second as the blond was in the midst of pouring Laguna a scotch and then setting the glass on the table in front of him.

Laguna muttered a quick thanks before he lifted the glass with a shaky hand, sipping on the liquid and trying to let it calm his nerves. It had been some time since he saw a dead body like that. Although he should've been more than used to it, the idea that his own life was in danger and that could have been _him_ instead of Kingston..well it had shaken him up quite a bit.

"The General simply excused himself for a moment, perhaps to make a phone call? I saw him leave as if to go out on the terrace; however, it seems he never made it that far given where his body was found." Clemont finished his account of the incident, allowing his gaze to reside on Squall who was still actively pacing around the room.

"This entire estate is locked down with security though. It's completely insane and nearly impossible that someone would be able to maneuver around so freely without being noticed."

"Unless..." Squall's trailed off in his reply, feeling emerald eyes on him to which he immediately brought his own gaze to meet Seifer's own.

"Unless he's a mercenary just like us."

"Hyne, do you think he's from one of the Gardens then?"

Seifer shook his head. "Not necessarily. There have been rogue mercs before." There had been a few that he'd run into during his travels away from Garden in the past. "Some even manage to get wild GFs which could pose a problem for us."

“It’s difficult to tell unless we have more information. This is all speculation at this point.” The brunet sighed and sat down in a chair near Laguna.

“Well then, if there’s nothing else that I can be of assistance with right now I suppose I shall be heading back to my room for the evening.” Clemont said his good nights to the group before letting himself out.

“I should probably head to my room too. I’m sure they’ll be having everyone in their rooms early to make sure security is well-placed.” Laguna quickly finished the rest of his drink. Squall was near-insistent that he escort him back to his room, but Laguna said the guard stationed outside in the hallway would suffice.

"Call me when you're back in your room then."

"I will. You won't have to worry so much once Kiros is here." Laguna smiled smally at the thought.

"Kiros is coming?" Squall looked surprised at this new bit of information.

"Yes, he insisted on it after hearing about the attacks. I guess he thinks I can't handle myself."

I don't blame him. Squall thought while letting the Esthar president leave before closing and locking the door securely.

Squall was only able to spare a glance at Seifer before a call started coming in via his laptop. Quickly walking over to it, he accepted the call to see a security officer appear through the holographic capabilities.

"Commander Leonhart?"

"Yes. How can I help you?"

"You're cleared to receive information in regards to this case, so we need to debrief you on what we found."

"Seifer Almasy is with me too. He should also be cleared to listen in. Go on." Seifer waved from the background before moving closer to where his companion was. Squall sat down, waiting and listening intently.

The officer nodded before starting his explanation. "We just finished an analysis of the scene where General Kingston was murdered. It appears as if this was done by a sharpshooter. The bullet came from the northeast window. Kingston was facing away from said window when the bullet made impact."

Seifer shook his head while cursing under his breath. A possible merc who was now also a sharpshooter. This was going to be more of a handful than they thought.

"No other evidence has been found on the estate. We've boosted security on the main parameter, and all the rooms will now be under supervision 24/7. All guests will be escorted to and from their rooms at all times. Room sweeps will be done in between events to ensure no one has entered and altered the rooms in any way during those times."

"Very good. We will also do our own inspection of the area if that is all right with you."

"Certainly. We've cleared the area already, so you are more than welcome to do your own investigation."

The call ended shortly after that. The commander took a few moments to type out some notes before turning to look at Seifer.

"We should go look now since everyone has probably gone back to their rooms at this point."

The remainder of the evening had them searching the scene in as much detail as they could. From what they could tell there was no additional evidence for them to stumble across. Upon going outside, they noticed that there was no way by a normal means for the intruder to have managed to position himself for a shot through such a high window unless they had been able to reach a certain height. There wasn't anything that would've made that possible located around the main perimeter.

"There's no way." Seifer stared at the open land near the window as Squall studied the side of the mansion.

"There weren't any vents near the location either..." Squall muttered to himself as if trying to rule out any sort of possibilities for such an attack in his mind.

"Do you think..if he really does have a GF that they're able to conjure up something like this for him?"

"I'm not ruling out the possibility." Squall sighed while leaning back against the brick wall of the mansion. Things were just becoming more difficult to keep up with. This person was more elusive than he would've thought. A general terrorist would've been easier to deal with than this.

"Well Leonhart, looks like we got our work cut out for us."

\---

The next morning had everyone running around trying to ensure everything was setup correctly for the days's activities. Security had to triple check everything before they were finally given the go-ahead to start serving breakfast and commence the schedule.

"So we have breakfast." Seifer stated as he held up the schedule and took a bite of his bagel with cream cheese. He chewed thoughtfully before continuing. "Then there's a tour around the property and tonight we have a tropical themed luau dinner where a few of the council members are going to present the highlights of what they worked on throughout the year." Seifer raised a brow at that.

"Nothing like a good party." Laguna said while taking a sip of his orange juice.

The various couples were all seated in the room once breakfast had finished. Laguna waved enthusiastically as he spotted Kiros walking in, and the man took a seat next to the Estharian president.

"Don't let him out of your sight." Squall muttered to him, looking up just as someone was heard tapping on the mic up front to get the room's attention.

"Good morning, we're going to start things off today by doing some group activities."

Squall tuned out of the announcement somewhat, looking over at Seifer to see how he was glancing around the room at the various attendees. Most of it was general information about staying with the group and that security was in place to ensure everyone's safety.

The first part of the day was to be comprised of going on a boat tour of the entire estate. Everything was scattered along various points of a large lake. Apparently it was just that massive that you had to have some mode of transportation to get from one major landmark to the other.

Security had certainly stepped up their game, surrounding them at a near-constant rate. Squall still was cautious given they didn't have enough details about their suspect just yet. He couldn't bring his sword, which he was none to pleased about but still understood, so he had to compromise with having a few GFs and spells equipped and in stock.

The boat slowly moved along just as Seifer leaned back against the seat more. "Isn't this nice princess? You get to go on a romantic boating trip with me."

"You wish. Speaking of you never did ever elaborate more on your 'romantic' dream that you were always going on about." Squall rolled his eyes as he saw Seifer run his arm along the top of the seat behind of him, only to give the illusion he was drawing in Squall closer to him. There was a small smirk forming on Seifer's lips that almost made him regret bringing it up.

"You'll find out soon enough I'm sure. Just like I'll find out more about why you left Rinoa."

Squall went silent at that. Crossing his arms, he looked over at the water now as the boat picked up speed with more distance that was made from the dock. It was an enjoyable enough ride and relaxing in its own way. They passed an area where most of the wild game was located to hunt or train, a wooded area that was segmented specifically for hiking.

"Golf is one of the most prominent reasons that people visit this estate.”

The boat swerved to the left without warning. The sudden force of gravity had Seifer moving to try and grab anything nearby to hold onto, but instead he ended up falling forward against Squall making them both tumble to the floor.

“Sorry about that folks, we tend to spot a gator every now and again, gotta dodge them quick.” The captain announced as everyone recomposed themselves with slight chuckles heard in the background.

“Well that’s comforting.” Seifer muttered, feeling Squall’s lithe body beneath of him. His hands managed to skim against the sides of the brunet, touching some on the bare skin hidden beneath the loose, white shirt Squall had chosen to wear that day.

Squall snorted. For some reason he felt a rise of heat to his cheeks and a weird jarring in his heart from how close Seifer was to him. It wasn’t as if this sort of thing hadn’t occurred before in previous times during past duels so he had no logical reason to find himself focusing on how oddly _good_ it felt.

Dispersing those thoughts as quickly as he could, he starting moving as if to sit up and Seifer quickly followed in the movement. They were re-seated after that, Squall refusing to look at Seifer as the blond glanced at him from the corner of his eye. It was a curious thing to see how Squall had reacted, but he’d put a backseat on the notion for now.

The segment about golf continued and a few minutes later they approached a dock near what had to be the main entrance to the field.

“Anyone who wishes to spend the afternoon here is free to disembark. We have plenty of SeeDs who will be monitoring the area so you can rest easy and enjoy yourselves.”

Squall raised a brow upon seeing White SeeDs already overrunning the area. It was odd seeing so many in one place. The one time he had met up with them, there had only been a handful on that tiny ship in the Cetra region.

“Golf isn’t really my gig so I think I’ll pass.” Seifer stated, seeing Squall roll his eyes in response.

“We should search the area, make sure there aren’t any blind spots or areas that were missed somehow.”

With an unknown enemy Squall felt like no chances could be taken, regardless of how many preventative measures had already been taken.

The expanse of land was free and clear in a way that should have been soothing but he circumstances made it anything but that. Squall was grateful it wasn’t too hot outside as he made his trek along the greenery with his always lovely companion.

“I guess I gotta be our entertainment as usual. You still haven’t told me why you and Rinoa split, so I think it’s high time I told you why we did.”

Squall sighed. This was just an old wound that Seifer seemed very intent on poking until he came clean about it.

“Please divulge _all_  of your secrets to me.” The response was sarcastic, but deep down Squall was a little interested as to why the two of them didn’t work out. Rinoa always seemed fond of Seifer even at the start of his knighthood with the Sorceress and the day everyone thought that he had been executed..

They were approaching what appeared to be a rest-type area with a bar included. Goddamn rich people.

“Well you see it happened like this.” He motioned to a table, both silently decided to take a rest seeing as they had walked over a mile already. Squall ordered a water while Seifer ordered a whiskey on the rocks. 

“Things were fine at first, you know the whole honeymoon phase happened and all that jazz. It was somewhere around month two that she started wanting me to change little things. I didn’t really notice it at first until it was something as big as her wanting me to not be so sarcastic all the time.”

Seifer no being sarcastic..that was like telling him not to _breathe_.

“So I sort of told her to back off in the nicest way possible. But then she started mistaking that as me trying to ‘distance’ myself and got all clingy. If anything I hate feeling smothered so that started putting me off even more.

“The sex was pretty good, but not enough for me to stick around. Cons were outweighing the pros you know.” Seifer took a long sip of his drink. He could feel grey-blue eyes on him.

“Join the club.”

The response made Seifer’s brows shoot up, curiosity immediately hitting him. The ice princess actually took the bait.

“What do you mean?”

Squall looked off in his stand-offish way that he usually only did when he showed he wasn’t interested or was mildly uncomfortable.

“She just started nagging me about so much after the war. I already had enough going on as it was, so I didn’t need that in addition to it.”

“She doesn’t take no for an answer that easily though.” Seifer added in a knowing tone.

Squall shook his head. “And I said that too often, especially about-” Squall stopped himself short in his explanation. He frowned as if he had almost confessed something important. Deciding it was best to move away from the subject, he stood up and looked out over the golf course.

“We can talk about this later. Lets finish up here so we can get back to the mansion.”

The subject change was almost expected by Seifer. Although he was disappointed to not find out the entirety of the demise that was Squall and Rinoa’s relationship, he got enough to get a general idea of things. There was clearly still an underlying reason that Squall had pushed away the girl so much though, and Seifer was still too eager to figure that out.

\---

The remainder of the afternoon went much more smoothly than the previous day had gone. Most of the members had spent their day playing the most boring sport known to man according to Seifer. Back at the mansion the evening events were about to start up, and Seifer emerged wearing the tackiest flowered shirt Squall had ever seen in his life.

If anything he thought Laguna would’ve worn such a thing.

“Does this bring out my eyes?”

“Brings out a lot of things, but I don’t think your eyes are one of them.” Squall had to stifle a chuckle which almost surprised Seifer.

He knew he looked utterly ridiculous, but this was what had been laid out for him by the high and mighty President of Esthar (Seifer almost laughed out loud just thinking of that phrase) so he wasn’t going to refuse. Plus Seifer could make anything look good.

“What are you wearing then princess? I need to see if you’re gonna impress me or not.”

Squall stood up, placing a hand on his hip while throwing the blond an odd look.

“I’m wearing this.” He displayed the same jeans and a new white shirt that he had changed into after they had returned from their outing that day.

“No way. Come on if I’m going down in his hell you have to do the same.”

“Fuck that.”

Squall waved off the suggestion, turning as if to head to the other side of the bedroom for something. He hadn’t expected Seifer to come after him, tackling him suddenly with something in hand.

The bed shifted from the sudden weight of their bodies. Seifer smirked, staring down at him as Squall didn’t look amused in the slightest.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Just helping you change is all.” An air of playfulness was in Seifer’s voice as he saw Squall lying beneath him with a slight scowl on his face. Surprisingly the brunet hadn’t tried to move at all yet.

“I’m quite fine thanks.”

“You are but you’ll be even finer in this _lovely_ shirt.” Seifer started leaning over Squall move, running his hands to grab at the hem of the white t-shirt covering the other’s chest.

Squall exhaled in slight annoyance, trying to ignore the weird way he felt to have Seifer so close to him again for the second time that day. He swallowed thickly, starting to move as if to put up a fight but Seifer’s hands were firmly on his hips after that.

“Now, now princess don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

Those hands started tugging the shirt up more, fingertips idly tracing on the slightly tan skin in the process. It made Squall shudder, trying to block out the sensations from having a touch that was almost intimate placed upon him. 

He didn’t struggle much more though. Trying to fight against Seifer too much would only end up with one or both of them having a bloody nose or worse. Their scars were proof of that, and he wasn’t about to have a repeat of that over a fucking shirt.

Laying there bare chested now, Squall glared somewhat up at the blond.

“Are you sure you’re not just using this as an excuse to feel up on me?” The words left his mouth without actually giving thought to what he was suggesting.

“Getting sassy are we?” Emerald eyes did a once over of the body beneath of him. Squall was attractive sure. Anyone in his right mind would attest to that even if they weren’t on _that_ side of the fence. Being a hero and all would only enhance that truth, but Seifer had his eyes on Squall long before he had gone and saved the world.

It had been one of his darker secrets if he had to put a label on it.

Only Fujin had slightly picked up on the vibe, and thankfully she hadn’t tried to pry too much on the matter. The woman had an acute awareness for those sort of things that were usually unseen by most.

Had the mission been something Seifer was interested in? Yes.

Had he been more interested because Squall was involved? Absolutely.

Would he ever admit to that? Fuck no.

There was always a wall with Squall, one that Seifer felt like he had come close to breaching once or twice but never enough to get a strong sense of certainty.

“Maybe. But no one can be as sassy as you.” Squall rebutted, his lips almost curving into a smirk of his own.

Seifer reached for the shirt that had fallen from his grasp in the initial tackle of his captive. Trying to find the most logical way to manuever Squall’s body, he ran his hand down to slide along the brunet’s lower back, cupping all too close to his backside in order to support him enough into a sitting position.

The touch caused the brunet’s heart to skip a beat. Exhaling uneasily, he tried to focus on anything else other than the way Seifer’s hand felt on his skin in an even more dangerous place than before.

“Your body isn’t as cold as I thought it’d be.” Seifer commented rather close to Squall’s ear, making the other shudder again. Squall gripped some at the sheets while hoping the blond would get on with it quickly.

“Whatever.” 

Seifer chuckled while finally starting to slide the shirt over Squall’s arms to rest on his shoulders. The shirt hung open, and he idly started buttoning each button to finish dressing him.

“Do I meet your standards now?” Squall said in bored tone, watching as Seifer pulled back now to look at him closely.

“I think this is the hottest thing I’ve seen you in.”

“Oh? So what else have you thought I was  _‘hot’_ in?”

“Mmm I’d say that black leather you had a fetish for wearing was pretty intriguing.”

Squall tried to avoid letting his cheeks darken some at that. Surely he was joking? There was no way in hell that Seifer was flirting with him because this was _**Seifer**_.

A knock on the door had them both looking over to see Laguna standing in the open doorway seconds later.

“Oh uh hm sorry am I interrupting-”

“No-”

The two of them moved off of the bed as swiftly as they could. Squall stood upright, trying to fix the shirt as much as he could and already hating it with a passion.

“Well then, we should make our way to the party then. Dinner should be served by now.”

Laguna tried to play off a leg cramp from the awkward situation that had occurred. Seifer kept assuring him nothing was going on.

Squall facepalmed at the exchange and already felt like this was going to be a long night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well...I have returned after nearly half a year with an update.
> 
> Truthfully my inspiration comes and goes for this fandom. That's not to say I don't love it at all because I do, it's just difficult to write if I don't feel that motivation to do so.
> 
> Anyways, this isn't as long as I was hoping for but it's progress. I'm going to do my best to keep on top of this though I'm still working out exactly how I want this all to play out.
> 
> Sorry for the delay~ At least we also got some more interaction between these two boys too.

Despite how dry the heat tended to get in the realm of Esthar, the night air was almost soothing and not too overbearing for a change. Although that didn't diminish the extreme amount of tackiness that came with the party they had just entered into.

  
Luckily most had chosen to take part in the shared humiliation of being donned in such atrocious clothing. Not all went as far as flaunting the bright colors, but most were at least wearing floral patterns or dresses of some sort.

  
Having taken a seat at the bar shortly after arriving, Squall waved for another drink just as Seifer reappeared in the space next to him.

  
"Miss me?"

Squall merely snorted in response as the bartender slid him a fresh glass of vodka on the rocks. The previous encounter in the bedroom had frazzled his nerves and provoked his thoughts if _only_ slightly so much so that he was needing at least one drink.

"I know you were daydreaming about me." Seifer answered _for_ him, ordering his own drink before settling in for a comfortable round of drinks.

For a while they glanced at the crowd nearby which was comprised of people dancing or engaging in idle conversation.

"Well then, now that we're somewhat liquored up we should have a little brainstorming session."

Setting his now-empty glass down, Seifer studied Squall to see him nod in agreement.

They each ordered a fresh drink before slipping away from the bar to find a more secluded area to wonder around in. Truthfully it took more than a few drinks to do Squall in.

He'd been too focused on the case and needed to have most of his senses free and clear in case something happened, plus he just had a high tolerance.

Seifer was much the same, if not even worse.

"I was going through the academic database earlier to check on the files of students enrolled in Balamb, Galbadia, and Trabia Garden for the last five years. It was difficult to ahold of all the Trabia files given some of them were lost after the missile attack."

It was one of the few times that Seifer chose to mull in silence, looking out at the ocean and simply listening to Squall's explanation. That was one of many events during his time possessed by the sorceress that he deeply regretted. Though it was almost akin to reopening an old wound, he was more focused on the importance of the conversation.

Squall surveyed the other for a moment and then continued.

"Nothing looked out of the ordinary though. Only a few were suspended from activities due to general misbehavior, but no one had outstanding issues on their records. Any transfers were cleared due to students simply moving to new territories or being relocated for long-term missions."

"So we were right in our initial line of thinking that this is someone acting on their own."

"Or with a small rebel faction." Squall added before sipping his drink.

"...Should we ask Rinoa?"

"What?" His voice was rather monotone at that. 

"Should we ask her if she knows of any other rebel factions? If anyone would know, it would have to be her."

The idea of reaching out to Rinoa at all clearly didn't sit completely well with him just from the tension that was evident in his frame. Though Seifer _did_ make a good point. Rinoa was a pivotal point in this sort of expertise. It wasn't as if he had any ill will towards her either, he just didn't want her to go out of her way to volunteer coming here or something.

Of course he was always one to jump to conclusions far too soon.

"..Fine." With a sigh Squall relented. "But you can call her."

"Will do."

 

* * *

 

The remainder of the evening was spent dealing with minimal conversation. Squall took part in some things delegated towards the current activities in Garden and also placating some of the attendees in regards to the most recent attack.

By the end of that, he was near mentally exhausted from working out his social quota for the day. Laguna had long since disappeared into the crowd now, and Seifer headed back to the estate earlier to call Rinoa on a secure line.

That left Squall to mindlessly drink to his heart's content seeing as all responsibilities had been met for the time being. Though the peace hardly lasted for long seeing as

Clement chose to appear beside of him beneath the secluded pergola.

"You have a way with people."

Squall shrugged. "Comes with the job."

"Well even still.." Clement set his gaze upon the man, stepping in a little closer than necessary.

The commander didn't so much as flinch away though. If anything he met the man's gaze, smelling the sweet scent of wine along Clement's lips.

Those very lips curved into a smirk as he continued.

"...You've caught my attention."

There was an active recognition of self then. The truth of his failed relationship from the past playing out in his mind, making him relish in the warmth that hit his senses all the more.

**_Squall liked this._ **

There was something about how Clement looked at him and was so eloquently _forward_.

Seifer had always been much of the same just brash and...out of reach somehow.

But Clement _wasn't_. If anything he looked as if he wanted to close the distance even more with that intriguing look in his eye.

"Are you going somewhere with this?" Squall asked as if to challenge, inhibitions lowered and with Seifer absent well...

"...Perhaps. What of your lover?"

He nearly scoffed at the question despite the odd way his heart clutched almost _painfully_. Yeah he could just imagine how Seifer might've looked if he found them in such a precarious position. Clement having encroached on him so much that he was practically backed against a pillar of the pergola.

There was no predicting that his very thought would come true though.

"Squall?"

There was an odd waver in the way Seifer said his name, making grey-blue hues immediately divert to stare at the one calling out to him.

"Did you finish your call?" The question came swiftly despite the position he had been caught in. Shifting away from the pillar and Clement, he took a few steps forward in Seifer's direction.

"Yeah. I think the party is wrapping up so we should head back."

Looking at his phone tucked away in his pocket, he saw a missed call from Seifer and that the time was nearing one in the morning.

"I will be returning to my quarters. Good night." Clement gave a slight wave to Squall along with a telling look that was only seen in passing.

The walk back to the estate was odd. Seifer remained unusually quiet, hands shoved in his pockets and his gaze drifting at anything _but_ Squall.

Finally Seifer broke that silence as they passed through the vast entrance of the manor.

What came were words that Squall was hoping he'd never have to hear.

"Is that why you broke up with Rinoa then?"

Seifer had a few suspicions, that very fact being one of them. He didn't judge at all. The emotion trudging up from the depths in that moment was something he kept biting back and refusing to accept it for what it was.

_Seifer was jealous._

From the second Clement had laid his eyes on Squall, it was as if he was transfixed and wouldn't quit until he got his fair share of the mercenary. _Seifer hated it_. What he hated more was that he had no claim on Squall regardless, and if he ever admitted to such feelings he'd probably get a blank stare and be completely ignored.

"Does it really matter?"

The two stopped at the foot of the staircase. Seifer stared at Squall in a way that challenged him to reveal his hand. There was no denying that he probably had an inkling anyways.

"Don't you trust me?"

Squall sighed. The truth was bound to come out sometime.

"Yes that's why we broke up. I have no attraction to her in that way or any other woman for that matter. Now will you stop asking me about it?"

As if to emphasize being done with the topic, he turned and started up the stairs only to be stopped half-way by a hand on his arm.

"Seifer.." The words came out in a slight growl serving as an exasperated warning of sorts.

"You don't even know him."

Brows furrowed, Squall tried to discern just what Seifer's intentions were with this. There was an odd emotion hinted in his tone, one that Squall was trying to understand.

"It doesn't matter."

_'Sometimes I just want to feel wanted.'_

Most of his life he had kept people at a distance, forcing himself into a void of loneliness and never experiencing the 'good things' as Rinoa had once said to him.

Finally having a little more freedom with his range of emotions and what he allowed himself to take chances on, there was no refuting the few times he had given into short-term pleasures and infatuations just because of how it made him feel.

Being wanted felt _good_.

"It should." Seifer muttered almost sternly, releasing his hold on him and brushing past his solitary figure on the stairs to continue onward.

"So what are you volunteering?"

Seifer paused. Emerald hues gleamed in a distinguishable way that caught all of Squall's attention.

"Don't go there. You might not like the answer."

Confusion filled Squall's thoughts, a tension sparking in the atmosphere as he could do nothing but watch in silence as Seifer climbed to the top of the stairs and headed down the hallway back to their room.

The tension hardly dissipated upon arriving, if anything it was almost _suffocating_.

Seifer moved over to the desk where a stack of papers were located along with his laptop. Not wanting to prolong the previous conversation, he started his explanation of what new information that had been received from his phone call.

"So Rinoa gave us a few leads. She said there has been a new group that formed about a year ago. She doesn't know their angle in terms of government relations, only that they've been very against whatever is set to happen next in Timber. There's some sort of plan in the works, but it hasn't hit national news yet."

Squall walked over, looking over the notes that Rinoa had sent Seifer in an email.

"Also there was apparently a member of the Timber Owls who chose to leave shortly before Rinoa came to Garden to see Cid. I remember seeing him a few times during that previous summer when I first met Rinoa.."

Shifting his fingers along the keyboard to scroll down the page, he glanced at Seifer who appeared to be looking at the notes again as well. It was as he did so that he realized how close the other was, the warmth of his breath nearly felt against his shoulder and...it was proving to be more than distracting.

"It's possible this person is now heading this new resistance group. We're not clear on the exact motive yet, but apparently they're even more brutal in terms of how they want to have Timber liberated."

The words were registered, yet his thoughts kept reverting back to the one uttering them.

It wasn't as if he hadn't thought of Seifer in terms of intimacy at least once or twice...he just never considered that that was something Seifer would even be remotely interested in. The fact that they were rivals most of their life equated to a natural tension sure, but this was something new and _different._

Maybe it was just the alcohol that had lulled his senses that much, but truthfully he felt more awake than ever before.

"What do you think?"

Seifer questioned, finally shifting his gaze back over to stare at Squall.

There was no stopping him once the impulsive idea had formed in his mind. A hand reached out, grasping hard at the collar of Seifer's shirt and pulling him in to claim his mouth in a harsh kiss. Only a mere second or two passed in which Seifer realized what was happening. His mouth caught up rather quickly and pressed back into the kiss with a force that had Squall taking a few steps back.

Seifer merely used that to his advantage, his hands finding their way to Squall's hips and gradually moving him to lean against the edge of the desk.  
Hastily Squall shifted a hand behind him, shoving away papers and folders uncaringly to slide back onto the surface and spread his legs. Seifer was on him without hesitation, a tongue probing his lips and licking deeply into his mouth. Hands raked along his thighs to grip on his hips, effectively pulling him closer to grind their bodies together.  
It'd been so long since he'd kissed someone, Squall found himself practically dizzy from the lustful feelings that rushed through him. All of Seifer's touch was like fire on his skin, lips bruised further from the heated kiss that only grew more intense.  
Their hips met, Squall breaking the kiss to let out a rough gasp against Seifer's lips.

"What..are we doing.."

"Well..we _were_ kissing.." Seifer replied in a low tone, a smirk shown as he eyed Squall's reddened lips.

Fingertips slid along the collar of Seifer's shirt again, grey-blue eyes staring in a way that searched for an answer.

A knock on the door broke their moment of reverie though.

Squall slid off the desk as Seifer took a few steps back to allow him personal space again.

"It's me."

The sound of Laguna's voice was muffled on the other side of the door.

Seifer ensured they both looked as composed as they could before crossing the room and opening the door.

"I didn't get to see you two much today. I just wanted to check in and see how things were going."

There was a distinguishable waver in Laguna's stance as he strolled into the room.

Squall raised a brow while Seifer chuckled.

Clearly the man was a _little_ tipsy.

"I told him to lay off the Cosmos." Kiros also lingered in the doorway with a hand on his hip.

"You _advised_ me - that's not actively _stopping_ me though."

With a pinch on the bridge of his nose, Squall gave a brief response.

"We haven't discovered much else, only a lead that this person might be associated with a rebel group that is also primarily tied to Timber somehow."

"Yeah, you remember Rinoa right?" Seifer questions and could see the president engaging the thought for a moment.

"Of course. She's head of that group uh..." Laguna was failing to think of the name of it. "..Kiros help me out here."

"The Timber Owls."

A snap of his fingers came after a few tries. "Yes _that_ -!"

Seifer was clearly trying not to chuckle even as he continued.

"Well she's given us what information she already had, and she's going to do some digging to see if anything else comes up that could prove to be helpful."

Squall regarded Seifer with a raise of his brow. He didn't know Rinoa was going to throw herself further into this as well.

"If there is a resistance group involved this could get messy.." Kiros surmised, moving over to Laguna to gently tap his shoulder. "..For now we should head back to our room."

"Good work you two. I'll see you in the morning." Laguna gave a smile that was far wider than usual if that was even possible.

Squall facepalmed once the door was closed, leaving him alone with Seifer again.

"Well I see that the happy drunk trait doesn't run in the family."

A scoff came from the brunet as Seifer surveyed his reaction.

"Squall we should..talk about what happened."

Immediately a wave of anxiousness took hold of Squall.

This wasn't a topic he was fit to dive into just yet. He wasn't even sure if any of it meant anything. All of this was certainly something he'd have to work out in his head on his own time - if he even managed to get that sort of time.

The mission was priority.

"...It was a kiss. That's it." Squall muttered, undoing his pants and trying not to relive how it had felt in his mind. "...Can we just let it go?" As he then stood in just a pair of black boxers and a white tank, his hands reached to start pulling down the large comforter so he could slip beneath of it and into bed.

Inwardly Seifer thought - _'Was more like a make-out but yeah sure.'_

Outwardly he muttered as if defeated. "If that's all you want it to be then fine."

Seifer knew better than to push something Squall didn't want to talk about. Plus he could feel the exhaustion winning out over possibly indulging in an argument at this time of night.

Though he was sure this was something that could not go unheeded for long.

Not when he could still _taste_ Squall on his tongue and felt his warmth beside of him. 

Suddenly the bed seemed too small.


End file.
